Thailand forum

It's my first time traveling outside of the country alone. Just wondering if its safe. I was feeling okay about it until one of my male friends said "Are you sure? It's not worth it if something bad happens."

I'm going to a rural area in Chiang Mai (have to hop on a truck for 2 hours ride) to a farm of some sort from Wararot Market. Is that going to be safe?

Chiang Mai is as safe as any other medium-size Southeast Asian city (safer than their counterparts in Europe and the US). Just stay away from druggies and drunk Thai guys in the middle of the night, use common sense, be careful on the roads, etc. Motorbikes are probably the most dangerous thing, but that's true for all of Thailand. Northern Thais are mostly gentle kind people but give them a motorbike and they go kinda brainless. What farm are you going to and do you know anyone there? Is it a reputable operation? Things to consider.

#2Captain_Bob has been a member since 27/5/2006. Location: Thailand. Posts: 1,918

You will have a unique Experience in the rural Parts of Thailand - what you need to know:

Etiquette is very important to Thais, and though they might be more tolerant of foreigners visiting their country, knowing a few important dos and don’ts will certainly make it much easier during your stay in Thailand. Thai people are polite and non-aggressive by nature and expect the same of others - they will seldom display their displeasure with your rude behaviour, but you could be getting yourself into a troubled situation if you disrespect a few important aspects of their culture.
The Thai are a proud nation of people with a long history and complex hierarchal structure of status. Starting with the Royal family and percolating down, everyone in Thailand knows and respects their place in society. A polite Thai (which is most of them) will usually immediately identify whether another is of higher status than them (usually deemed by age or wealth) and initiate the wai - a submissive and graceful bringing together of the hands to the chest or beneath the nose (to show respect). Even on a social level, they will refer to their elders as pii (older sibling). In fact social grace is paramount and the formal suffix kha (female) and khrap (male) is added to the end of all sentences when addressing strangers, employers/employees or elders.

to my captain namesake:
Common sense-that is exactly what all those young girls, grown up in a nanny-state in the west, completely lack-shielded from geting it by anyone around. That is something you gain by experience and growing older.to the lecture of
IVR: do NOT as a westerner start a wai-only -in some cases- respond with it. add kha/khrap only when speaking proper Thai-highly unlikely for some ignorant newbie.

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